Shayetet 7
| 7th Flotilla | |
|---|---|
| שייטת הצוללות | |
 Coat of arms of Shayetet 7 | |
| Active | 1959–present |
| Country |  Israel |
| Branch |  Israeli Navy |
| Type | Submarine flotilla |
| Size | 6 submarines and 300 personnel |
| Part of | Israeli Navy |
| Garrison/HQ | Haifa naval base |
| Nickname(s) | 700 Club |
| Engagements | Six Day War 1982 Lebanon War Sudan strikes Syrian Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Uri |
| Notable commanders | #Commanders |
Military unit
Shayetet 7 is the only submarine flotilla of the Israeli Navy. It is based in Haifa naval base and operates Dolphin-class submarines. It was established in 1959 and is considered an elite unit due to the nature of its services.
Nature of service
The service in the submarine fleet is difficult, challenging and often far from the country's borders, so the submarine crews have to be very cohesive. Another derivative of the great distance from the country's borders is that the submarine crew is operationally competent and ready for war at any time.[1]
Every operational mission of the submarine has a military doctor and a medic on board who have undergone special training to treat the wounded, including dealing with a multi-casualty incidents, deep under the surface of the water. In the absence of an emergency, the doctor who joins any operational mission also carries an intelligence role for everything, in which he is engaged throughout the mission as one of the combatants.[2]
The unit's objectives include
- Attacking enemy vessels
- Covert intelligence gathering
- Deployment and recovery of Shayetet 13 naval commandos
- Acting as a support unit for other units
- Believed to be part of the country's nuclear weapons capability.[3]
Fleet
| Class | Photo | Boats | Commission year | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphin class |  | INS Dolphin, [do̞lˈfin] (Dolphin) INS Livyathan, [livjaˈtan] (Whale) INS Tekumah, [tkuˈma] (Revival) | 1999 1999 2000 |  Germany | Expected to be replaced with the Dakar-class submarines starting in the early 2030s |
| AIP Dolphin 2 class |  | INS Tanin, [taˈnin] (Crocodile) INS Rahav, [ˈʁahav] (Rahab) INS Drakon, [dʁaˈko̞n] (Dragon) | 2012 2014 2023? | Germany |
History
Establishment
Two used S-class submarines were purchased from the Royal Navy . These submarines were built in World War II, and refurbished in England for the Israeli Navy. An Israeli team that went through a training period in France and the United Kingdom under British supervision was the crew for the first submarine. The flotilla was established on December 16, 1959, when INS Tanin (C-71) entered the port of Haifa.[4] The second submarine, INS Rahav (C-73), arrived at the shores of Israel in July 1960.[5]
Six Day War
During the Six Day War, the flotilla participated in the Operation Alexandria in which Tanin led six fighters from Shayetet 13 into action in the port of Alexandria . While waiting to collect the divers, the submarine was attacked by an Egyptian vessel and damaged. The next day she returned to the meeting place to collect but the divers had already been captured by the Egyptians.[6][7] Multiple civilian ships were destroyed in this operation.
Arrival of T submarines
In 1965, Israel purchased three T-class submarines from the Royal Navy: Leviathan,[8] Decker, and Dolphin.[9] The T-class submarines were larger and more sophisticated than the S-class submarines, but they were also outdated submarines from the World War II period that had undergone a process of upgrade and renovation. The submarines arrived after the Six Day War.
Sinking of INS Dakkar
A submarine of the flotilla, INS Dakkar, sunk on January 25, 1968, on its way from Britain to Israel and all 69 members of its crew perished. The remains of the submarine and the place where it sank were only discovered in 1999.[10][11]
Yom Kippur War
The flotilla did not take part in the Yom Kippur War due to maintenance issues.
Introduction of Gal-class submarines
The Gal-class submarines entered the service in the flotilla in the late 1970s, these small but agile and sophisticated submarines were continuously upgraded with newer systems to maintain their technological edge. They were somewhat unusual in that all boats of the class were at equipped with six-tube retractable Blowpipe surface-to-air missile launchers controlled from inside the boat, though these were later removed.[12]
1982 Lebanon War
The flotilla participated in the 1982 Lebanon War and carried out Operation Dreyfus which was a military operation to locate and identify enemy ships using submarines . In June 1982, during the operation, an Israeli Navy submarine hit a civilian ship carrying refugees, due to the suspicion that they were terrorists. 25 people were killed in the incident.[13]
Introduction of Dolphin-class submarines
Starting from 1999, the Dolphin-class submarines have continued to serve the Israeli Navy as a part of the flotilla and are expected to continue their service till 2030.[citation needed]
Sudan airstrikes
In November–December 2011 two Israeli air raids against Gaza-bound weapon smugglers in Sudan were accompanied by Israeli submarine activity off the Sudanese coast.[14][15]
Syrian civil war
On July 5, 2013, during the Syrian civil war, an Israeli missile strike against the Syrian port of Latakia was made in coordination with the United States, with long-range missiles launched from a Dolphin-class submarine. The attack targeted newly unloaded Russian-made Yakhont long-range high-performance anti-ship missiles and associated radars.[16][17][18]
Commanders
| Photo[19] | Name | Period of office | Comments | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Yosef Dror | April 1959 to April 1963 | First Commander | ||
 | Hadar Kimchi | April 1963 - May 1968 | |||
 | Abraham Dror | 1968 - August 1972 | Holder of the Adoration of Courage for the Operation Alexandria | ||
 | Gideon Raz | June 1972 - August 1973 | |||
 | Leshem Berg | 1973 - 1976 | |||
 | Gideon Raz | January - October 1977 | Second term of office | ||
 | Doron Amir | October 1977 - April 1980 | |||
 | Shaul Horev | May 1980 - June 1983 | |||
 | Michael Kisari | June 1983 - July 1987 | |||
 | Haim Kfir-Kopert | July 1987 - July 1990 | |||
 | Nir Maor | 1990 - 1992 | |||
 | David Luria | July 1992 - March 1996 | |||
 | Uri Distnik | 1996 - 1998 | |||
 | Yoval Tzur | 1998 - 2001 | |||
 | Eyal Ben-Zion | 2001 - 2004 | |||
 | Yonathan Vert | 2004 - 2006 | |||
 | Amit Farber | 2006 - 2008 | |||
 | Oded Gur Lavi | 2008 - 2011 | |||
 | Gil Aginsky-Peretz | 2011 - 2015 | |||
| Col. Doron | 2015 - 2016 | ||||
| Col. Assaf | 2016 - 2019 | ||||
| Col. Guy | July 2019 - July 2021 | ||||
| Col. Uri | July 25, 2021 - | Current commander of the flotilla | |||
References
- ^ "שייטת 7 |אתר". navy.idf.il. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
- ^ "כשלוחם נפגע בצוללת: לחלץ או להמשיך במשימה?". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ "Israel seeks sixth Dolphin in light of Iranian 'threat'". Jane’s. 1 October 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ "חרות, 17 דצמבר 1959 — החללה תניד 1_הל31לה בחיפה _דחקח [כתבה]" (in Hebrew). 17 December 1959. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ "דבר, 16 יוני 1960 — "רהב' הגיעה לחיפה [כתבה]" (in Hebrew). 16 July 1960. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ "אל"מ פסח מלובני – היבט מצרי על פעולת אלכסנדריה במלחמת ששת הימים". moreshetyamit (in Hebrew). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ Slomo Arel. Before the sea. p. 269.
- ^ https://yehida.co.il/?option=com_content&view=article&id=29&Itemid=14%2F
- ^ "מתגייסים ליחידה" (in Hebrew). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ "Report of the Tal committee on the sinking of the Dakar Report of an investigative committee headed by Major General Israel Tal and its members Col. Moshe Gedron and Lt. Col. Alexander Shor. The report was delivered to the Chief of the General Staff, Major General Yitzhak Rabin ," (PDF). March 1968. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ "The report on the loss of Achi Dekar issued by the commander of the navy, Colonel Shlomo Aral, to the Chief of the General Staff" (PDF). March 1, 1968. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ "WaffenHQ: Blowpipe". www.whq-forum.de. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
- ^ "הדבר הנכון בנוגע ל"מבצע דרייפוס" הוא להודות באחריות ולשלם פיצויים". Maariv. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ Issacharoff, Avi; Harel, Amos (25 December 2011). "Reports in Sudan: Israel struck two weapons convoys in past month". Haaretz. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ Paraszczuk, Joanna; Katz, Yaakov (25 December 2011). "Sudanese media report on Israeli air strikes". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ "US to media: Israel struck Latakia arsenal last week. Will Putin and Assad make good on threats of reprisal?". Archived from the original on 2013-07-16. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
- ^ Benari, Elad (14 July 2013). "Report: Israel Struck in Syria from the Sea". Israelnationalnews.com. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ "Report: Israeli submarine strike hit Syrian arms depot". The Jerusalem Post. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ ^
- אתר שייטת הצוללות An unofficial website of the history of submarines in Israel.
- אגף שייטת הצוללות On the unit website - the IDF units website.
- Shamuel Tankos, עם רכישת הצוללות, "Marine Systems" 39-N, March 1959, pp. 4–5.
- Shmuel Tankos, פקודת יום לבוא אחי תנין, תפילת הדרך לצוות הצוללת, מעמקי התנין, "Marine Systems" MD, December 1959 p. 3.
- Zev Schiff, מדוע כדאי לשרת בצוללת, "Marine Systems" NA, January 1961, p. 10.
- Yosef Dror, דבר מפקד שייטת הצוללות, "Marine Systems" n.d., July 1961, p. 3.
- Uri Dan, עם תנין ורהב במצולות, "Marine Systems" n.d., July 1961, p. 4.
- Yohai ben Nun, בהנפת נס שירות פעיל על אח"י תנין, 'Marine Systems' 61, September 1962, p. 2.
- Yosef Dror, מפקד השייטת לאנשיו, 'Marine Systems' 61, September 1962 p. 2.
- Yosef Dror, מפקד צוללת לאנשיו, 'Marine Systems' 63, March 1963 p. 2.
- Eli Shaf הצוללות שבדרך, 'Marine Systems' 76, February 1966, p. 16
- That. Yosef, הצוללות - חלום שנתגשם. 'Marine Systems' 111 March 1973, p. 12.
- Shlomo Man, על ההרגשה האישית והחיים בצוללת המפליגה מתחת לפני המים, 'Between Waves' January 1981 p. 31.
- Remy Antian, בצוללת כאן הטבח הוא המפקד, 'Between Waves' June 1981 p. 10.
- Shlomo Man, הדור אשר לא ידע את דקר, 'Between Waves' March 159, 1983, p. 6.
- Aryeh Kiesel, זה לא לאנשים נורמלים צוללת, 'Between Waves' 162 July 1984 p. 16.
- Naama Toren, רק גמרו את הקורס נקלטים בשייטת הצוללות, 'Between Waves' 166 November 1985, p. 12.
- מנהגים ומסורת בשייטת הצוללות, "Between Waves" 181 August 1990, p. 51.
- Dror Gat, שייטת 7 בעידן החדש, "Between Waves", May 2009, p. 4.
- Raz Sharga, יובל להגעת אח"י תנין לישראל, "Between Waves", December 2009, p. 13
- Jordan Gore, שייטת הצוללות חוגגת 55 שנה ומתכוננת לאח"י תנין, 'Between Waves' May 2014, p. 28.
- Brith Almog, החלפת פיקוד בשייטת הצוללות - מדורון לאסף באוגוסט 2016 וגם נס שירות פעיל לאח"י רהב, "Between Waves", October 2016, p. 14.
- Gadi Yampel and Avital Rahavit, חשיפה תת-מימית - צוללות בחופי לבנון, "Between Waves", October 2016, p. 43.
- Oral Elhadad and Brit Almog טקס פרס הרמטכ"ל לשנת 2016 וגם סונאר חדש בצוללות חיל הים, "Between Waves", May 2017, pp. 9–10.
- Hi. Sutton, היסטוריה של הצוללות הישראליות On the Historian website May 20, 2017.
- שייטת הצוללות Lecture at Alfredo Forum September 2018.
- Adir Yizrif, טקס החלפת פיקוד שייטת הצוללות, the 'Hai Fe' website, July 19, 2019.
- Yitzhak Noy, על שייטת הצוללת בתוכנית שבת עולמית, Broadcast interviews with Hadar Kimchi, Shaul Horev and David Rotenberg, April 17, 2021.
- Amnon Gonen and others, הדבורים של שייטת הצוללות, October 2021
- שייטת 7 - סיפורו של צי הצוללות בחיל הים, in the framework of a global discussion with Yitzhak Noy, Israel Broadcasting Corporation, April 17, 2021
- Dan Arkin, הצוללת אח"י דרקון צולמה במספנה בקיל שבגרמניה, אמורה להגיע לחיל הים עוד השנה, Israel Defense, August 6, 2023.
- Ronit Zilberstein, מים שקטים חודרים עמוק: הצטרפנו למסע המסכם של חניכי שייטת 7, Israel today, August 17, 2023.
- תיעוד בלעדי: לוחמי הצוללות בפעילות מבצעית במרחב הצפון, October 14, 2023.
- Yosef Dror, 'Alligator team training in Britain, Marine Systems 48, March 1990, p. 8.
- Rafiki, חתונה בצוללת - יום שייטת הצוללות, Bin Galim, September 1974, p. 22.
- Mike Elder, "'Decker and the story of the submarine fleet'", Aryeh Nir Publishing, 1997.
- Moshe Imber and Simcha Binot, "Red and clear - the story of the submarine fleet", design and production Eltan Takshor
